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WCCI Warsaw – co-creating the history of Polish cardiology

The 22nd Warsaw Course on Cardiovascular Interventions will take place on April 25-27, 2018, in Warsaw at the Okęcie Airport Hotel. It is the largest, oldest and one of the most prestigious international interventional cardiology conferences in Poland and Europe.

WCCI is accredited by the Association of Cardiovascular Interventions of the Polish Cardiac Society (AISN PTK) and is the official conference of AISN PTK. Our long-term partners include: The European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), the Polish Cardiac Society (PTK), and – the seventh largest Invasive Cardiology Course – EuroPCR. The WCCI workshops are also certified by Infarma and Techmed.

The directors of the WCCI Warsaw Course are: Professor Adam Witkowski, MD, Ph.D., – head of the Department of Cardiology and Interventional Angiology at the Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw, President-elect of the Polish Cardiac Society and Coordinator of the social campaign “Valve for Life”, and Professor Robert Gil, MD, Ph. D. – Head of the Clinical Department of Interventional Cardiology of the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior in Warsaw.

The conference has become an essential part of Polish cardiology by providing participants with the latest specialist knowledge on a global level. It should be emphasised that the history of the next WCCI Workshops is also the history of the development of interventional cardiology in Poland – says Professor Robert Gil, the Director of WCCI, Head of the Clinical Department of Interventional Cardiology of the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior in Warsaw.

Currently, the course gathers over 1,000 participants annually, including: cardiologists, interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons from Poland and the world, as well as representatives of other fields of medicine involved in the cardiac treatment of patients – anaesthesiologists, angiologists, vascular surgeons, radiologists, neurologists, nurses, medical technicians, and students of medical faculties. Over the years, the course has been under the patronage of prestigious institutions, headed by the Ministry of Health, the Polish Cardiac Society, the National Institute of Public Health and the National Institute for Senior Management.

The programme of the course is adapted to the latest achievements and progress of medicine every year. It also presents proven and the most effective treatments along with specific experiences and techniques of the best cardiologists in the world.

Thanks to such aform of exchange of experiences, the Course is increasingly important from year to year and has the status of a prestigious international conference. – sums up Professor Adam Witkowski, Director of WCCI, head of the Department of Cardiology and Interventional Angiology at the Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw, President-elect of the Polish Cardiac Society.

This year’s programme of the Course will include three topics of scientific sessions with live streaming from treatment rooms in cardioangiographic laboratories of the Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw-Anin, the Invasive Cardiology Clinic of the CSK Ministry of Interior in Warsaw, and from foreign affiliates (Budapest, Brno, and Toulouse). The first topic concerns coronary revascularisation, the second is structural heart disease and valvular disease, and the third is peripheral artery disease. The WCCI 2018 programme will also include satellite symposia, presenting the latest results of clinical trials, as well as innovative devices and treatment techniques which are useful in interventional cardiology.

During WCCI 2018, there will also be a discussion on systemic changes in Polish cardiology – said Professor Witkowski. – Debates with representatives of the Ministry of Health, NFZ [the National Health Fund], AOTMiT [the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System] and with the participation of patient organisations will be featured during two sessions on the first day of the course. The first debate is entitled “Cardiology in the era of the basic hospital network: Comprehensive care in cardiology – how does the model solution for providing care to heart attack patients function in practice? Is there a chance for a programme for patients with heart failure?”. The second debate will focus on “How to organise non-commercial clinical trials in Poland” – adds Prof. Witkowski.

However, the topics discussed during WCCI are important not only for the development of cardiology in Poland, but also for social reasons.

Forecasts show that with the ageing of the Polish society, the incidence of heart failure will increase and it will be the most frequent cardiovascular disease in Poland – warns Prof. Robert Gil, the Director of WCCI, Head of the Clinical Department of Interventional Cardiology of the Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior in Warsaw. The scale of the problem is therefore significant. Comprehensive and systemic actions are necessary in order to counteract the development of the heart disease epidemic in Poland. This important issue for the Polish society will also be discussed during WCCI – adds Prof. Gil.

In order to participate in the WCCI conference, register at www.wcci.pl/en/registration and fill out the form. Registration will be possible until 20 April 2018.